Container



April 8, 1930.

H. WILDBERG CONTAINER Filed Dec. 16 1926 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES QPATE NT- OFFICE HENRY WILDBERG, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, AssIGNoR, BY MESNE AssIeNMENTsTo UNITED MILK CRATE CORPORATION, or CINCINNATI, onro, A CoRPoRATIoN or OHIO CONTAINER Application filed December 16, 1928. Serial No. 155,280.

My invention relates to containers, and particularly to the type known as bottle crates.

In the art there has been considerable development in bottle crates having open tops and bottoms with reinforcing bars extending across from side and end walls which serve to reinforce the structures, to provide compartments in the crates for holding individual bottles, to make sturdy structures which will preserve the bottles from breaking, and which will stand the strains of repeated shipment and handling. As an example of the type of crate to which my improvements are particularly applicable, reference is hereby made to my Patent It is the object of my invention to provide novel reinforcing strips for attachment to the side and end walls of a crate at their bottom edges, which will be so secured within the walls that tendencies for the wooden sides and ends to split will be greatly diminished. It is further my object to interengagethese reinforcing strips with reinforcing bars extending across between walls of the crate.

The test of serviceability of a crate is that the construction shall be such that it will resist blows and jars incident to shipping. These shocks usually occur at the bottom edges of the crate walls, and my invention is directed broadly toward strengthening a crate where in the past shippers and handlers have found the most noticeable point of weakness.

Referring to the drawing in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inverted bottle crate.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of my preferred type of U shaped reinforcing iece. p Figure 8 shows another form ofreinforcing piece adapted for use with a crate of different structure than that shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a section of the piece as shown in Fig. 3.

I have shown a crate having end walls 1 and side walls 2 with rods 3 extending longitudinally across the crate between the end walls, and rods 4 extendinglaterally across the crate between the side walls. The corner edges areequipped with bracing plates 5, which, however, have no bearing on the invention'disclosed herein. I Q

In the crate illustrated there are rows of lateral rods at two different levels, and two rows of longitudinal rods at different levels. I have provided U shaped pieces of metal 6, which fit snugly over the edge of the bottom and side walls. The pieces have upper holes 7, and lower holes 8, through which the rods of both the upper and lower rows may be extended as illustrated. A lower rod 3, in being riveted through one set of the lower holes 8 in a clip, is reinforced, and the upper rod 4, being secured in an upper hole 7, reinforces the support for the lower rod. Thus in vertical alignment there are two sets of reinforcements which make the splitting of the wood along the lower row of holes and rods highly improbable.

It will be noted that in the crate illustrated, extending laterally across the crate-there is shown a reinforcing strip 9, which is formed of a piece of metal folded over on itself with a channel formed at the base for retaining one of the lateral rods. At the central portion of this strip 9, it will be noted that in the type of crate shown in my Patent :1,601,789, vertical straps are connected which extend up into the crate, and have some of the upper row of longitudinal bars passing through holes therein. These straps are not shown in the crate illustrated, but where the strip 9 requires reinforcement, I may cut the inner portion of the piece 6 with a key hole slot 10, such as is shown in the modifications in Figures 3 and 4. The use of a keyhole slot of such shape and size as will retain the end edges of strips 9, serves to provide a rigid structure which will permit the lower surface of the piece 9 to act as a track and guide for the crate bottom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1-- 1. In combination with a walled crate of the character specified, a set of reinforcing rods extending across between Wa ls Of the crate, at least one U shaped metallic piece fitted over the lower edge of a crate wall, with a lower rod of a set extended through the U shaped piece, and an upper rod of a set extending through the U shaped piece as a reinforcement to support the; lower rod in rigid position, a folded piece of metal housing the lower rod, and the portion of the U shaped piece on the inner side of the. crate. wall prolvicled with a key shaped slot to retain an, end 7 edge of said folded piece of metal.

2. In combination with a crate a U-shaped piece having a pair of vertically aligned 0pen ings, a reinforcing strip comprising a fnldedl piece of metal with a rod extending through it, said rod extending through the lower-opening in the U-shaped piece, said U-shaped piece secured to the lower edge,- of the crate, and havinga key shaped slot for retaining the end of said folded piece of metal.

HENRY WILDBERG. 

